Chapter 16
"Just the two of them? You didn't see anybody else?" Daryl asked, as he and Carol walked briskly toward the spot where she'd discovered the other two people.
"Well, they were kind of having a private moment," Carol pointed out, a little blush rising in her cheeks. "But they had weapons. If they're with other people, they'd have weapons, too. If Sophia was out here, she could be…she could be with them."
"It's possible," Daryl said with a nod. "What'd they look like?"
"She was blonde with long hair, and he had short dark hair. They looked like us. I mean…I mean, like they've had shelter or at least have been taking care of themselves. They look like they've been eating."
So they got weapons, they got food, they probably got other people then, if they gotta sneak off in the woods to get some privacy. Maybe they got a house or some kind of set-up out here." She could practically hear the wheels turning in his head.
"Daryl, I just want to find out if they saw Sophia. I don't care about their supplies or…" The distinct sound of a motorcycle revving up startled them both. Daryl's gaze flashed toward the sound. He knew that sound.
"That's my bike," he said in a low, gruff manner, his eyes narrowing as he peered through the trees. He'd dumped it back at the cabin, having the need for more space for supplies than anything else. The realization hit him. "They've been to the cabin."
"You think they started the fire?"
"Don't know. Could be."
"Let's check it out."
"We need the truck. We ain't doin' this without a way to escape. They got more people and weapons, we're gonna need all the help we can get."
"Daryl, they could be gone by the time we get back here! And how do you know we'll even find it taking the roads?"
"We'll follow the river, and we'll…"
"Daryl, no! I know you're just trying to think about our safety, but I'm thinking about my daughter. If she's still alive, if they have her, I need to know. I need her to be safe. I need to get her back." She choked back a sob, and Daryl put his hands on her shoulders, gently stroking the side of her neck with his thumb.
"Listen ta me," he said softly. "If they got your girl, we're gonna get her back. We gotta go back for the truck. We gotta get the rest of our ammo."
Thunder rumbled loudly overhead, and a flash of lightning startled them both.
"No. I can't go back. I have to know." Her voice was firm and sure, and when he looked in her eyes, he saw fear, yes, but he also saw fire and determination. She was going to do this, no matter what, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let her do it alone.
"Alright," he murmured. "You stay with me." Carol nodded quickly, and she was the first to grab the tree roots and pull herself up. Daryl followed close behind, and they peeked out from the bush to see not a single trace of the two lovers Carol had spied earlier. But the faint sound of chatter echoed through the trees, and they caught each other's gaze.
"C'mon," Carol urged, tugging on Daryl's sleeve. He followed her, and at that moment, the clouds broke open, and the rain began to pour. Carol ducked her head at the feeling of the cold rain washing over her, and at that moment, the sound of car engines starting broke through the thunder. "No!" She took off running.
"Wait!" Daryl called out, reaching for her, but she was already gone. He followed after her as she tore through the bushes and the trees, chasing a lead that might or might not bring her daughter back to her.
"Stop!" she screamed out. "Sophia! Sophia!" They ran into a clearing, where several tire tracks were embedded in the mud and filling with water. Daryl caught up to her, his lungs burning but his eyes fixed straight ahead. "There," he panted, extending his finger in the direction he was looking. She followed his gaze, seeing the black asphalt of another road. They rushed to it, and that was when they caught a glimpse of a string of tail lights fading into the distance as the rain began to pound harder onto the earth. "No! Stop!" She started sprinting down the road, stumbling slightly as her ankle nearly gave out, and she felt his arms around her, dragging her back off the road and into the damp grass.
"Stop! Ok? You gotta stop!" he yelled as the thunder tore through the air again. "We don't know who they are! We don't know if Sophia's with 'em! We don't know anything, alright, so you gotta stop!" She was crying now, and she struggled to pull herself out of his grasp. He gripped her arms and turned her to face him. "Stop. Just stop. I got ya." Carol broke down in that moment, and she fell into him, and his arms came around her waist. He held her as she cried, gripping his shirt as the rain drenched them both. "I got ya. I'm here." He stroked her back as they stood in the rain, and he felt her just give herself over to him, her body weakening as she leaned against him.
"She's not here," Carol sniffled. Daryl looked around, catching his sights on an old tarp half-hidden under a bush.
"C'mon." He tugged at her arm, and she followed him toward the bush, standing shivering in the rain while he pulled it out. He held his arm out and pulled her to the ground before pulling the tarp over them both to give them a little shelter while they waited for the storm to pass.
Mercifully, the truck was still parked back at the old cabin when they made it back that night. They'd run into a small herd of walkers on the way back, but other than that, the only issue they had to contend with was the weather. The wind had picked up, and the temperature had dropped, and by the time they got back to the truck, they were both shivering and soaked to the bone.
"We'll find that road tomorrow," Daryl said quietly as he started the car and turned the heater on full blast, reaching over to gently rub Carol's shoulder. The sensation of his hand on her shoulder made her jump, but she relaxed, and she looked at him with red, tear-brimmed eyes.
"Who knows where they could be tomorrow?" They quickly began stripping out of their wet clothes and into the dry ones they'd packed just in case of this situation.
"My guess? Ain't gonna stray too far from the river. Fresh water, fishin'. The woods are good for huntin'. We'll pack up in the mornin' and head that way, alright?" Carol began stuffing their wet clothes into a trash bag as they pulled the dry clothes on, feeling warmer already.
"Ok," she murmured softly from the passenger's seat. She shivered again, and Daryl pulled out of the drive, stepped on the gas, and sped down the road toward the little house at the edge of town where they could try to sleep and prepare for tomorrow's journey.
She was quiet the rest of the way back to the little house, and as soon as Daryl pulled into the drive she helped him pull a tarp over the back of the truck to hide their supplies.
Once inside the house, Carol toed off her shoes and lit a few candles to try and warm the room up a little. Daryl rooted around the cabinets in the kitchen, while Carol grabbed a few blankets from the hall closet. The thunder rattled the windowpanes, and Carol ran her fingers through her still-damp hair, shivering as she thought about how cold that rainfall had been and how quickly the temperature had dropped out there.
"It'll be a miracle if we don't have the flu tomorrow," she muttered, settling down on the couch and pulling a blanket over her lap. She held her hand over one of the candles, feeling the heat lick her hand. She pulled back sharply just as Daryl came walking in with a bottle of some kind of liquor and two shot glasses.
"What's this?" she asked.
"You're shakin'," he murmured.
"I'm cold," she said quietly.
"Ain't just that. It's your nerves."
"I don't drink much," she said quietly, extending her hand out to accept one of the shot glasses, as Daryl settled down on the couch next to her. She tossed one of the blankets over his lap, and he unscrewed the cap on the bottle.
"What is it?" she asked, her face screwing up in disgust at the smell of it.
"Whiskey," he chuckled. "It'll warm ya up, at least." Carol eyed him as he poured a drink out for her first and then one for himself. "Just drink it back. Don't sip on it." She watched him take the shot, swallowing it down in one gulp, and she followed his lead, coughing as her throat and nose burned.
"That's awful," she groaned, wiping her mouth.
"Tastes better the more ya drink," he offered. She made a face, but she sucked down another shot after he poured it for her. He took his second shot and put the bottle down on the end table. Carol leaned back against the couch, closing her eyes and listening to the rain drumming on the took her shot glass from her and put it down with his next to the whiskey bottle.
"You warm now?" he asked. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she smiled sleepily at him.
"Getting there," she murmured. Daryl shifted on the couch, and Carol scooted over to lean against him. He lay back against the throw pillows, and she curled up against him, resting her head on his chest. He rested his chin atop her head, breathing in the scent of her, and she gently curled her hand into his shirt. "G'night,"
"Night," she replied, turning her face toward his. He brushed his lips gently over hers, and she hummed softly against his mouth before pulling back and laying her head back down on his chest. He laid his hand upon her back, feeling the steady rise and fall, and when he was certain she was sleeping, he let go and gave into his own exhaustion.